News in brief

Children's homes axed

In what must be one of the low points in local authority cuts, Tory-controlled Essex county council will consider a proposal at its next cabinet meeting in June to close all its children's homes.

The 'externalisation of children's homes' will involve about 120 staff losing their jobs and 36 vulnerable children being found alternative placements.

This decision will also destroy the cumulative professional knowledge which this service has built up over decades. It was recently praised for piloting a pioneering approach to child development called 'social pedagogy', including a three-year staff training programme.

Whilst some children may be found placements in foster care this does not suit every child. One of the children affected has written to David Cameron and told him he had 15 foster placements before settling in his current home.

The real danger though is that children find themselves in the private residential sector where profit is the main focus.

The Tory council is a 'corporate parent' with a legal responsibility to safeguard children and young people in council care.

The public sector unions supported by Essex residents need to remind the Tory councillors what this means and stop this disgraceful proposal before it is implemented.

By a Unison member

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Tory MP cashes in

'We're all in this together' was the Tories' slogan to justify austerity. But some of us are more in it than others.

Alun Cairns, the Tory MP for Vale of Glamorgan, has just trousered a £29,000 pay-off for losing his seat in the Assembly. The "resettlement grant" is intended to help defeated Assembly Member (AMs) be weaned off their pampered £54,000 salaries before being released back into the real world. Except Cairns didn't lose his seat - he chose not to take it up after winning in Vale of Glamorgan in the general election.

Cairns deliberately hung on as an AM until the Assembly election so that he could claim the £29,000 pay off.

It's not the first time Cairns' snout has plunged into the trough. As an AM he claimed £12,500 a year for a flat in Cardiff near the Assembly despite living just 30 miles down the M4. He even had the cheek to demand the Assembly change its rules to allow him to continue to claim it when boundary changes made him ineligible for the pay-out. The Assembly duly obliged.

Socialist Party Wales

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Government priorities

The government regularly tries to soften up public opinion to its vicious cuts in disability benefits. Ministers' latest headline grabbing ruse is to publish some of the more unusual excuses used by people found guilty of benefit fraud, even though these people are a miniscule percentage of the total number of claimants - 0.8% of total benefit expenditure.

Moreover, what the government fails to point out is that tax evasion (excluding tax avoidance) amounts to £70 billion, according to the PCS union. This compares to £1 billion in benefit fraud.

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Coronavirus crisis - Finance appeal

The coronavirus crisis has laid bare the class character of society in numerous ways. It is making clear to many that it is the working class that keeps society running, not the CEOs of major corporations.

The results of austerity have been graphically demonstrated as public services strain to cope with the crisis.

The government has now ripped up its 'austerity' mantra and turned to policies that not long ago were denounced as socialist. But after the corona crisis, it will try to make the working class pay for it, by trying to claw back what has been given.

The Socialist Party's material is more vital than ever, so we can continue to report from workers who are fighting for better health and safety measures, against layoffs, for adequate staffing levels, etc.

When the health crisis subsides, we must be ready for the stormy events ahead and the need to arm workers' movements with a socialist programme - one which puts the health and needs of humanity before the profits of a few.

Inevitably, during the crisis we have not been able to sell the Socialist and raise funds in the ways we normally would.

We therefore urgently appeal to all our viewers to donate to our special coronavirus appeal.